l.l-2.'Vlt rural youth WHAT KIND OF WORK WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO^ iiHi'ilife his pamphlet was aeveiopei The United States Employment Service Affiliated with your State Employment Service Bureau of Employment Security United States Department of Labor 1967 WHAT KIND OF WORK WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO? Selecting the kind of work you would like to do, perhaps for the rest of your life, is a big job. But a little planning and preparation ahead of time will n-iake it easier. What are your interests? Put them down on paper where you can see them. Money is impor- tant, but it is more important to work at a job which gives you a sense of personal accom- plishment. What are your abilities? To be an engineer, you must be good with numbers; to write profes- sionally, you must be good with words; to be a chemist, you must spend long years in school learning your profession. Balance your present and potential abilities against your interests. What are your opportunities? in today's world, they should be what you make them. But your level of education will increase or decrease your possibilities, as will your willingness to work hard toward objectives you set for yourself, whether you are in a rural area or a big city. SHOULD YOU LEAVE THE FARM? Maybe yes, maybe no. . . . Here are some facts: The number of farms in the U. S. has been declining since 1935. New farm machinery, improved chemical products, and advanced techniques have allowed the farmer to raise increasingly large crops. But machine power and chemical power now do much of the work, not human power. This means that today there are fewer farm owners and unskilled farm workers than there were even a few short years ago. But it also means that there are more jobs for skilled farm-machine operators and mainte- nance men, more jobs for trained professionals to develop new equipment and agricultural products. There are also more jobs for individuals to package, transport and get them to market. Much of farming is now big business. And there can be a future in it for those young people who prepare themselves to meet its challenges. MANY OTHER FIELDS OF WORK Jobs related to agriculture are found in almost every type of employment. This includes for- estry, construction, manufacturing, transporta- tion, communications, electric, gas, and sanitary services; wholesale and retail trade; finance, insurance, real estate, and government. Some jobs are tied directly to farming. These include jobs in feed mills, fertilizer plants, farm machinery industries, farm supply stores, food processing plants, and many other businesses that process, distribute, or transport farm prod- ucts and farm supplies. Others are indirectly dependent upon farming activity, such as the jobs in research with gov- ernment agencies, colleges, agricultural experi- ment stations, cooperatives, and the private businesses that buy from, sell to, or serve farmers. Teaching, writing, television, radio, conserva- tion, farmer organizations and trade associa- tions, and government regulatory and inspection agencies are also important sources of employ- ment for people with rural backgrounds. MANY KINDS OF JOBS UTILIZE RURAL BACKGROUND College or Graduate Degree Required Agronomist Animal Husbandman Dairy Bacteriologist Farm Management Consultant Food Chemist Forest Entomologist Human Nutritionist High School or Special Training Required Combine Operator Conservation Aide Custom-Feed Mill Operator Farm Equipment Mechanic Farm Implements Salesman Feed Blender Grain Inspector College or Graduate Degree Required Irrigation Engineer Labor Economist Market Research Analyst Plant Pathologist Rural Sociologist Soil Scientist Veterinary Parasitologist Vocational Agricultural Teacher High School or Special Training Required Home Demonstration Agent Home Economist Insecticide Salesman Nurseryman Packing Foreman Plant Breeder Poultry Buyer Soil Tester And many, many others. WHAT TO DO TO GET THE JOB YOU WANT Learn all you can about the field of work in which you are most interested. Find out what the qualifications are, and plan to continue your schooling until you have at least obtained the minimum qualifications. Learn something about present working conditions, and about what the future would hold for you in this line of work. Talk about it. Talk to as many people as you can who are employed in this work. They know best the good and bad points. Talk to your school counselor, your parents, teachers, 4-H leader. Ask them to advise you in planning your future. Visit a place where this kind of work is done (first make an appointment) and see it actually being performed. Try to get a summer job in this field, to test your own personal interest in it. Read about it. A starter list of reading materials appears later. These, and others, are available at most libraries, and at your State Employment Service office. WHEN YOU ARE READY . . . When you are ready to start looking for a job, ask your school principal when the State employment service representative will be com- ing to your school. Or visit the nearest office of your State employment service. There you will be able to get: Information on jobs available. Assistance in finding the kind of job you want and will be qualified for when you are through with school. Counseling and testing help, if you need further guidance in selecting a field of work. Information on ways to get training, if the job you want calls for it, and if you qualify. FINAL WORD Now you're on your own. This little pamphlet is only meant to start you thinking and planning. Will you stay in a rural area? Although unskilled farm jobs have declined, the number of farm- related skilled and professional jobs has never been greater. Boys and girls brought up in the country have an edge on city youth for many of these jobs. Will you move to the city? Your rural back- ground may also benefit you in some urban jobs. However, all types of jobs are available in cities. For most of them your education, training, and/or experience are the things which will get you on the payroll. Country or city, there are plenty of opportunities for those with the necessary education and training. What kind of work would you like to do? The decision is yours! A LIST OF READING MATERIAL TO HELP YOU SELECT THE KIND OF WORK YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO I've Found My Future in Agriculture, available at State Agricultural Colleges There Is A Future In Your Farm Background, National Sales Executive, Inc. 630 3rd Ave., New York, New York Jobs in Outdoor Work, Science Research Associates, Inc., 259 E. Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611 Occupational Outlook Handbook, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402, $5.00 Helping Rural Youth Choose Careers, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402, $.05 Job Guide for Young Workers, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402, $.45 Career Guide for Demand Occupations, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402, $.30 How to Get and Hold the Right Job, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402 ,$.10 Choosing Your Occupation, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402, $.15 Careers in Agribusiness and Industry, by Archie A. Stone The Interstate Printers & Publishers, Inc., Danville, III. 1965 (285 pages) U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1967 O - 266-440 •S3 3 1262 08858 9451 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR • Manpower Administration ^